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LOKALMILJØ

ANDRE LINKER

Sideforfattere

Kulleseidkanalen As

april 1, 2011

THE WATER ROAD THROUGH KULESEID

The water road through
Kuleseid – The time before and after the first canal

The people living in Bømlo – especially
fishermen and those engaged in carrying trade –had a very rough time sailing around the island
to reach the fishing areas at the west coast. They had often enough imagined an easier way
when the gales of autumn and winter set in. Even in ancient times they must
have played with the idea of a more sheltered route.

Already during the summer 1852 a proposal for a canal
through Kuleseidet was launched by the chairman of the Finnås county council – Erik Jacobsen
Øklandsnes.

This proposal was approved unanimously by the
provincial county and - through a long bureaucratic process – was passed by the Norwegian
Parliament in 1854. This resolution also included a grant of 16.300 speciedaler, which amounts to about N.Kr.
3 – 4.5 mill. in today’s money.

This picture shows the first canal and the narrow
road for pulling the boats through by hand.

The reason why the authorities decided to allocate
such a large amount to this project was not only because Bømlo is a beautiful island – but mainly
because of the abundant herring fisheries on the west coast of Bømlo. By using the canal the small fishing boats could
go direct without being exposed to the rough weather. Besides, fishing was of great impor- tance
not only to the local community, but economically also for the country

When the work was finished in 1856, tovudgruhe Kulleseid
Canal system, which
consists of two small and one big canal,
had a width of 3.8 and a depth of 2.2 meters.

The
first bridge – and the first toll money of the island

The first bridge was a simple, wooden
construction, which was hoisted by hand and ropes.

The small road along the main canal
was used by the crew to pull their boats, because the canal was too narrow for using oars. During summernights, however, young lovers
went strolling along the idyllic
road.

Today toll money is a familiar concept, but not
many of us are aware that it was used 150 years ago at the Kulleseid Canal,
for about 10 years. The rate was low,
but so was the income for those who paid. Landowners, who had contributed land free
of charge, and school children, were not required to pay.

To supervise the Canal and collect toll and hoist
the bridge, a Canal Supervisor was engaged.
The authorities bought a place on the southern side of the canal and
built a house for him and his family.
Today this house is a small museum.

Maintenance of the canals was undertaken in due
course by central and local authorities.

The home of the Supervisor

The new canals made the Kulleseid area an
administrative centre at the island. The
first telegraph station was built in 1857, the first post office in 1863 and
the first telephone station in 1890. By
a council decision in 1896 also the council house was located in the canal area.

Officials such as the vicar, the county medical
officer and the officer in charge of law and order (lensmann) were also here.

The first bridge and the telegraph station

150 years ago there were only a few village
shopkeepers on the island. Only city
citizens were allowed to trade also in rural districts, but from 1842 also
common people were permitted to trade. Until
1866 a
shopkeeper had to obtain permission from the counsil, which often was refused because of fear of
drunkenness among people. In the 1880ies

Sjur Larsen opened the first general store in
Finnås, by the canal. He had a bakery in
the basement and a carpenter’s workshop and the general store on the first
floor.

Jacob Wrede Zahl, the first Canal Supervisor,
was succeeded in 1885 by Samson Svendsen, who also was responsible for the
telephone and telegraph station, and line inspector. His sons and daughters had to deliver
telegrams by rowing boat – often as far as Hiskjo.

Times
they are a-changing, and so are boats The
period 1927 – 1935

As time went by, both fishermen’s and most
people’s boats were too large for the existing canal system.
From 1916 onwards plans were discussed, but only in 1927 the enlargement
plan was ready to be carried out.

The government Port Authority, which
was to be in charge of the project, had to reach agreements
with the landowners about cession of the required area of land. Another important question was how to cover
the expenditure – the work was estimated at about NOK 22 million – a large sum
in an economically tough period.

Total length between the entrance of the eastern
canal till the outlet of the western canal is 1700 metres.

The eastern canal length 80 meters width 14 meters depth 4 meters

The main canal length
600 meters width
10 meters depth 4 meters

The western canal length 60 meters width 10 meters depth 4 meters

The opening of the enlarged canals took place
on November 17, 1935. Three ships, with
flags hoisted, were crammed with passengers, including representatives of
authorities and technical staff members.
During the passage the sun was shining and guns saluted!

The enlargement project started in 1927 and was
finished eight years later. This simple statement
may convey the impression of a rather easy task, but when we look at pictures,
listen to people who were there at the time, and consider the tools that
were available, we realize that this was a tremendous performance.

80 years ago most av the work had to be done by
hand even though they had steam for cranes, for rock drilling and for emptying
water. The canals were built one by one,
the equipment followed from one canal to the next. Today’s amateur divers at Bømlo share a past with long tradition, but the divers of 150 years ago had only a
simple boat with a crew of four: one
diver, two men producing air for the diver by an instrument with a crank on
eash side, and the fourth keeping a signal line to the diver, while looking
after his air supply.

Diving boat and equipment at the eastern
canal

Because of weather conditions, construction
work could take place only during six months of the year, which was one reason
why it took so long. All equipment was taken
away in the autumn and brought back next spring.

”Rundø” towing punt and barge

If the canals were to be built today, both
drilling and blasting would have been done under water. In 1927 equipment for such work was not
available, and their way of meeting this challenge was to build dams. To keep the construction site dry, pumps were
used.

Old people can remember that they could walk
“at the bottom of the sea” picking shells and other exiting specimens!

Stone had to be removed by carriage on rail,
driven by hand.

The ground beneath today’s shop and filling
station

The new bridge was built a little farther east
than the old wooden bridge. To operate
the bridge a petrol-driven engine was installed; however the bridge could also
be hoisted by hand if necessary.

A small sign on the base of the bridge indicates
the year the bridge was completed: 1932.

The most brave – or maybe most thoughtless – of
local boys used to stand on the bridge during the hoisting – luckily they never
fell down!

The bridge with it’s particular profile

Workmen came from different places – very few
from Bømlo. They were lodged in
sheds. On the picture side you can see
the workers together with their (female) cook.

Since 1972

Improvements both on land and sea – completed in
1935 – made life easier for travellers on sea and land alike, for the next
40 years. The bridge supervisor, Rasmus
Nedrebø, however, had to be on 24 hours duty year in, year out. Boats passed by day and night, and when they
heard the whistle, he or his wife had to hoist the bridge.

The little cabin for the engine was also used by
the supervisor for his side activities: shoe repair and hair dressing.

Modern times demand modern measures. The old bridge could no longer satisfy the the
needs of traffic at sea. Also, 24 hours
duty did not attract qualified persons.

So, in 1972, the old bridge was removed and replaced
by a new permanent concrete bridge. The bases of the old bridge remain with
their elegant arches below the bridge

Distance
to sea level is 13 metres: sufficient even for most sailing-boats’ masts.

During the eighties the old fenders, made of
creosote materials, were removed both from the eastern canal and the main canal. The old fenders were replaced by car tyres – a
practical but not aesthetical change. In
the western canal the old fenders still remain

150 years have passed since the first canals
were built, and this seems to be a suitable moment to take a break and reflect
upon the passed and the present. At the
time, and for the successive years, the canals were mainly used by fishermen
and freighters. Today the Kulleseid Canal has become an important part of
tourism in Bømlo. From that point of
view the story of the canals reflects the development of the society in general.

Sea transport is no longer very important for the
island’s trade and industry – mainly tourists, and seafarers in general, are
speeding between and around all the thousands of islands of Bømlo. We may conclude that the Kulleseid Canal
is still important for Bømlo, but in a way very different from that of our
forefathers’.